If the title has post-rock type overtones in its cumbersomely lofted melancholia, the cover art hints at a different kind of cliché in its evocation of ‘classic’ nostalgia. The press release quotes BBC 6 Fresh on the net, who refer to ‘wonderful unashamed pop music that comes with an inbuilt English Pop sensibility running through to its very core.’ And yes, this is a fair summary of Richard Stone’s music, although thankfully, he achieves this without sounding contrived or in complete thrall to The Kinks. ‘Be Kind to Yourself’ is more Pulpish than anything.
The tunes are crafted the lyrics a combination of pithy observations and vignettes littered with details swept up from every corner of daily life. Many of the songs are concerned with the passage of time, loves lost. ‘Every day, yesterday gets further away’, Stone sings on ‘Everyday Yesterday’. ‘Every day, our memories fade’ he sings on ‘Our Memories Fade.’ Still, if the theme does seem to be a bit belaboured at times, there are some great tunes and credit has to be given to an album that slips ‘espadrilles’ into one of the lyrics.
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